The Weird, Wired & Wild World of Alex Lago
Alex Lago started life as Rift Sexton. (Who published a regular column in Avenue Magazine in Yeoville, Johannesburg, in the late ’80s.) Rift transitioned to some fella named BJ Daniels (don’t ask…) in the early ’90s when he went off to find what he thought would be fame and fortune in the UK.
After that went kapow and he killed his career (you can read about that here), BJ decided to transition to Alex Lago.
And so with that sordid history out of the way, here’s the skinny on Alex Lago …
Back in his teens and early twenties, Rift/BJ/Alex wrote around a half-dozen novels. They’re incredibly graphic and not a little odd. But then his life at the time was hardly less bizarre …
The first five were never even sent to publishers or agents. One of the later novels, though, got him an intro into publishing in the UK, and another got him an agent in New York City. None of that led anywhere of course because Rift/BJ/Alex was mostly stoned out of his mind (and not a little psychotic with it!). He also had an amusing talent for self-destruction.
Fast forward almost 40 years (Jesus, how’s that possible?), and I’ve decided to self-publish his novels because I figure I owe that kid something. After all, that crazy sonofabitch taught me how to write and gave me a life as a word monkey.
The novel is “Francesca” and it will be available in softcover in July 2024, and is available as an Ebook now.
Just a final word: since this is 2024 and not 1988, these novels should come with (dear oh dear) a trigger warning. So consider this the ⚠️: These books are pretty hectic, as they say back in Joburg where many of these were written and set. Enter Alex Lago’s world at your own peril (and leave your judgements where they belong…).
If you’re easily offended, these novels aren’t for you. They’re sparse, gritty, unsparing and cruel, populated by seedy people and dirty places, sex and drugs, degradation and violence. Dark novels that echo Alex Lago’s life.
Do give the kid a break. He was 18 when he started this journey after all.
FRANCESCA
By Alex Lago
MILAN, SUMMER, 1987: THE HEROIN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
Sandro Lago is a teenage junky exhausted and adrift in Milan’s seedy underworld of the mid-1980s, on the run from a killer, cops, a Milanese mobster, and his own syringe-inspired demons.
Robi Johnson, in Chicago, wants nothing more than a fleeting escape from a tortured past, and figures Italy is as good a place as anywhere else.
As Sandro and Robi’s lives collide in the vibrant and turbulent summer of 1987, they will find solace in each other’s pain, a brief respite from their shattered lives, and a desperate escape from the violence that threatens to tear them apart.
Written in 1987 and set in the dying days of ItaloDisco, “Francesca” is a gritty and unsparing novel that captures the fragility of youth and the harsh realities of life on the bitter-cut edge.
REVIEWS
“After assaulting one of Zoran’s business partners and running away with a package of their merchandise, Sandro, a teenage junkie, has to go into hiding and hope that Zoran, one of Milan’s most feared drug kingpins, does not find him. Robi Johnson, on the other hand, needs an escape from her torturous past and a break from her life in Chicago. She lands in Milan, where her husband’s friend, Zoran, hosts her. It’s not long before she bumps into Sandro. As the lives of the two haunted souls collide, can they survive the violence of 1980s drug-ravaged Milan that threatens to break them apart? Chief Inspector Virdis is not spared. In a bid to rid the city of the drug business, he finds himself in a dangerous cat-and-mouse chase that puts his life and those of the people closest to him on the line. Is there an end to it? Find out in Alex Lago’s Francesca.
This page-turner will have you flipping from cover to cover. If you are looking for a gripping, fast-paced urban drama with a touch of crime, Alex Lago’s Francesca is just what you should be looking for. Weaving an intriguing plot, Lago features an exciting and dynamic cast. The evocative depictions colorfully bring Milan to life on the pages, uniquely capturing the city's mood, setting, and cultural nuances in the 1980s. I was hurled into the edgy underworld of the drug business, deeply entwined with money, murder, sex, guns, drug barons, underbosses, dirty cops, and so much more. Lago expertly brings out the cast’s emotions and complex traits, enabling me to connect with them. There is suspense, adventure, action, drama, and so much more in this magnificent story. I loved it.”
— Keith Mbuya